Tuesday (12/20) NRBQ‘s music is a blend of styles from rockabilly to Beatles-influenced pop to Thelonious Monk-inspired jazz. They have attracted fans as diverse as Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, and Penn and Teller. NRBQ songs have been performed by Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Dave Edmunds, and many others, and the group even served as the unofficial “house band” for The Simpsons for seasons 10-12. In their 50-year history, NRBQ’s records have been released by many record companies, including Columbia Records, Kama Sutra Records, Mercury Records, Virgin Records, Rounder Records, and more. The band never works with a set list, so fans never know what songs to expect! Come out and enjoy the surprises! The show starts at 8pm.

Wednesday (12/21) Join us on the occasion of the winter solstice for a special concert experience by the one-and-only Cassandra Wilson. Celebrated for her rich, husky sound and her improvisational and interpretive gifts, Wilson has expanded jazz singing with her exploration of standards and old blues, country and folk songs, and the music of Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, and others. Making her name in the 1980s as a founding member of Steve Coleman’s free-ranging M-Base Collective, Wilson’s breakthrough 1993 album, Blue Light Until Dawn, was a prime collection of originals and songs by Robert Johnson, Mitchell, Hank Williams, and Van Morrison. She won a Grammy for 1996’s New Moon Daughter, and the following year sang on the recording and tour of Wynton Marsalis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio, Blood on the Fields. Wilson’s singular 2015 recording, Coming Forth By Day, is an original homage to Billie Holiday on the centennial of her birth. We have two chances to see and hear Christmas with Cassandra, at 7pm and 10pm.

Thursday (12/22) Come celebrate the holidays with Secret Society at the 3rd Annual Urban Soul Holiday Party! Dance to the soulful sounds of one of DMV’s finest bands, as they perform hits that get you moving all night. DJ Eclipse will be on the 1’s & 2’s. There will be plenty of fun, great food, drinks and holiday cheer. Formed in 2008, Secret Society, the brainchild of Washington-area musician Bryan Mills, was created to bring the “live band” sound back to today’s heavily computerized music market. The combination of talent, experience and influences stemming from the seeds of John Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Police, Rick James and a host of others gives this band their own unique sound. The group calls it “Feel Good Music” to define exactly what it is they offer. The party starts at 8pm.

Friday (12/23) The Soul Crackers annual Holiday Party is a legendary blowout and a treasured rite of the season for hundreds of music lovers. This will be the band’s third holiday happening at Bethesda Blues and Jazz. Sprinkled in with soul classics from the likes of Al Green, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Smokey Robinson & Otis Redding will be a handful of soulful Christmas chestnuts. This show is known for bringing together friends and families of all ages from across the region for informal reunions for a night of great music, dancing and reconnecting. The band features Washington Area Music Association Hall Of Fame vocalist Tommy Lepson, guitarist Keith Grimes, Chuck Sullivan on drums, Spencer Hoopes on keys, saxophonist Wayne Sulc, Chris Hutton on trumpet, and bassist Ronnie Newmyer. To top it off, this performance will feature the stellar backing vocals and dynamic showmanship of the Too Much Sisters aka, Anita King & Caz Gardiner. The music starts at 8pm.

Don’t forget to Give the Gift of Music! Now until December 25th, buy 3 tickets and 1 FREE (excludes 12/31, 2/13, and 2/14). Use code BBJ4. We do hope you are enjoying our shows for the season, including all those happening this week plus the upcoming “Auld TWANG Syne” with Ruthie & the Wranglers and The Thrillbillys and New Year’s Eve with Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palms Orchestra. Get the details of these and all our other shows on our Music Calendar.